LOS ANGELES, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The San Francisco Zoo will reopen on Jan. 3 after the deadly escape of a tiger from lts enclosure on Christmas Day, zoo officials said Saturday.

    The zoo would be safe when it reopens, the CNN quoted the officials as saying.

    The Siberian tiger that escaped from its enclosure killed a teenager named Carlos Sousa and injured two others Tuesday. The animal was shot dead later. The two injured were released from the hospital Saturday.

    About 50 people gathered outside the house of Sousa's grandmother in San Jose late Saturday to attend a candlelight vigil.

    Police radio transcripts about the deadly tiger attack showed a chaotic scene at the San Francisco zoo as zookeepers attempted to calm down the animal and medics refused to enter until their safety could be ensured.

    Zoo employees initially questioned whether early reports of the tiger attack were coming from a mentally unstable person, according to a log of communications from police dispatchers to officers and emergency responders at the scene.

    But zoo employees soon reported that a tiger had been loose, and the zoo was being evacuated, the log said.

    Police said Friday that they had completed their investigation on zoo grounds and found absolutely no evidence of an intentional release of the tiger.

    It has been gradually becoming clear that the tiger climbed over its enclosure's wall, which is just under four meters high, about one meter below the recommended minimum for U.S. zoos, local media said.

    The zoo could face heavy fines or even be denied its license. The victims' families may file a lawsuit against the zoo.

    Meanwhile, at the Oakland Zoo in California, officials have said they have plans to raise the height of the walls surrounding their tiger enclosure to avoid any similar escapes.